Challenging Oppression and Confronting Privilege: A Critical Social Work Approach

by Bob Mullaly

Challenging Oppression and Confronting Privilege is the definitive guide to anti-oppressive social work, a prominent part of social work theory and practice. In this much-anticipated third edition Bob Mulaly and Juliana West examine the many forms that oppression and privilege can take at the personal, cultural, and structural levels. They outline the necessary practices and approaches that social work must adopt to fight against oppression and privilege, and to assist those who have been oppressed.

Genres: Social Work, Nonfiction

418 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2009

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare that I come across a social work text that makes my heart beat faster and my head nod excitedly. Perhaps I've been reading the wrong books. This one wins me over for its ability to present oppression and anti-oppressive practice in a fresh, nuanced way. A must-read for critical social work theorists (and in my humble opinion, all social workers), Mullaly delineates the many forms of oppression at different levels (personal, cultural, and structural), followed by an exploration of the intersections of oppression, ways to fight oppression, and a necessary look at oppression's ubiquitous flipside, privilege.

Mullaly may have a couple of axes to grind, most evident whenever he brings up systems theory ("it's not even a theory!") or when he addresses his anonymous reviewers, sometimes veering into page-long rants about how they just don't get it. But since I generally applaud his efforts, these impassioned tangents serve to spice up the ride.

Read the book, harness your anger, and join the fight against our society's many insidious forms of oppression that you likely take for granted.

[Elle Hansen]

Important content (I am a graduate student in Social Work), but this was - by far - the least engaging textbook I have ever read. I struggled with every chapter, and I love reading for my classes! With an undergraduate foundation in Social Work and, of course, graduate study, I have read a lot of SW textbooks . . . Most have engaging, real-practice anecdotes, images and charts. This one just has text, a lot of it. Worth reading, but you may be able to find this information in a better format for learners.

[Bennett Reiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

Repetitive and quite boring read. If I didn't have to read it for school I would have never made it through the book. Informative nonetheless and worth the read if you're in the field.

[Joslyn Ramirez]

Read for MSW class: diversity, social justice, human rights

[Nicholas Chelsom Mccormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

essential for any social worker who wants to practice from an anti-oopressive framework.

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book is so well written and researched, so passionate and compelling that I would recommend it to anyone, not just social workers.